It all began with a simple phone call. Jonathan Danter could not have anticipated the events that would follow. When he heard voice of the detective on the other side, Jonathan knew something had to be wrong. Why else would the Scotland Yard be contacting him? Everything changed on that gloomy day in November.

The detective told Jonathan that his uncle Frank was found dead. But that was impossible! There had to be a mistake… Jonathan believed that his uncle had died ten years ago. Where had he been living all these years? Why was he murdered now? His head filled with numerous questions, Jonathan headed to the funeral. The pieces were just not fitting together.

After the funeral, Jonathan returned to his apartment. He needed some time to relax; and he needed some time to think. Yet Danter was attacked by an unknown assailant. Fighting for his life, Jonathan managed to send the attacker running. But one thing is clear. Jonathan is in grave danger. And the incident at his apartment is more than likely to be related to his uncle’s death. Jonathan has to get to the bottom of the mystery. Unless he quickly uncovers the truth, Danter may not live for much longer.

Developer Artematica and publisher ANACONDA are teaming up to being us the adventure game Belief & Betrayal. The game starts off with Jonathan Danter’s investigation into the death of his uncle Frank. Before long however, Danter will find himself in the midst of a great conspiracy. As pointed out in ANACONDA’s press release for Belief & Betrayal, the intricate plot expands far beyond Jonathan and his uncle, reaching “back through the centuries all the way to the day Judas received 30 pieces of silver for betraying Jesus.”

Belief & Betrayal thrusts players into the beautiful cities of Europe. Traveling through London, Venice, and Rome, players will unveil the mysterious circumstances behind Jonathan’s uncle’s death. As the plot thickens, players will find themselves caught in the midst of biblical secrets and a great church conspiracy. The adventure game promises an engaging plot that will call upon players to question everything in search of the ultimate truth.

The experience will be brought to life in realistic environments that stay true to the architecture of the cities explored. While players should not expect exact replicas of huge portions of London, Venice, or Rome, Artematica has taken time to conduct research and recreate the environments in a convincing manner. The pre-rendered 3D backgrounds are expected to make for interesting locations to explore. The game will be pure point-and-click adventure offering played from a third-person perspective. While exact details are not yet available, Artematica also promises unique game play elements. The developers have pointed out that Belief & Betrayal will feature an innovative inventory system.

While Belief & Betrayal is a work of fiction, many of the events in the game will certainly have their roots in history. Historical accuracy will be sustained for certain events. However, the game will also have a great deal of fiction mixed with historical fact.

Judging by the preliminary information released about the game, Belief & Betrayal looks very promising. The backgrounds and character models on the initial screenshots look very pleasant. Exploring the European cities while trying to uncover the truth should make for an interesting experience. Moving from a murder mystery to an intricate church conspiracy, the plot should have what it takes to keep players interested. Currently scheduled for an October 2006 release, Belief & Betrayal could certainly prove to be worth the wait. Artematica could easily deliver an excellent thought-provoking thriller that will leave players clinging to the edge of their chairs.